Specializing in Roman Catholic Eclectic

The Christological Symbol (Brazen Serpent Sculpture), created by Italian artist, Giovanni Fantoni, stands atop Mount Nebo. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Rosary Meditation … The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion. “Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.” Numbers 21:9. Satan is normally depicted as a serpent of some sort in the Bible. And this serpent, Satan our adversary, is the father of all lies, the beginning of all sin. Christ, the sinless Jesus, was made sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and He was hung upon a pole, His cross. In the Old Testament story there were poisonous snakes running rampant throughout the Israelite camp as a result of their sins. Death was at every door and at each step. To be safe from these deadly serpents the people had to look at the serpent on the pole. They had to turn to it. Can you imagine anyone being to stubborn to do that? A person so caught up in their own way that they wouldn’t do something as simple as look and live? Are there any people acting like this today? Certainly. Great multitudes, caught up in pride, or, sadly, ignorance. But because Moses was faithful to God’s message and shared the truth some lived. And, simply put, we’re called to do the same thing. If the bronze snake Moses set up had gone unnoticed it would have been a great pity. If Jesus hangs on the cross and is ignored, by us or others, how much greater the pity? How much more severe the loss?

Today … St. Josephine Bakhita. Made a slave at an early age she suffered much. Her life, and the blessing that God gave us through her example, is much to complex to deal with here other than to say she, her life, is worth looking at. Why? Because she turned and looked to the cross. She looks at Jesus.

And so … If we can’t look to Jesus and see Him in the bread and wine on the altar we’ll never be able to see Him in the poor. (Paraphrased from Mother Teresa.)